Monday, February 23 | Follow Globe Sports

BATTING LEADOFF

There’s nothing with the Red Sox — heck, there’s nothing in baseball — that I’m looking more forward to this season than seeing what Roman Anthony has in store in his first full big-league season.

It was a total bummer last season when an oblique injury suffered Sept. 2 abbreviated his season. His arrival, rather than Rafael Devers’s departure, was the spark that turned the Red Sox into a force to be reckoned with through the summer (they went 34-18 in July-August).

Now he’s healthy, stronger, and held in such high regard that he was added to Team USA’s World Baseball Classic roster as Corbin Carroll’s injury replacement, it is plausible — and perhaps even likely — that he’s one of the best offensive players in the game this season.

Read Chad Finn's full column at BostonGlobe.com/Sports.

TO THE LINKS

RESERVING JUDGEMENT: Red Sox minor leaguer Justin Gonzales stands out — quite literally. At 6 feet 6 inches and 277 pounds, the 19-year-old corner outfielder towers over other position players. Alex Speier looks at how the Sox are hoping to tap into the prospect's potential.

SNEAK PREVIEW: On Sunday, Alex Cora offered a glimpse of a lineup that likely will feature many similarities to the one with which he opens the season on March 26 in Cincinnati. Alex Speier has more.

SPRING TRAINING REPORT: Jarren Duran went 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles, while reserve Nate Eaton clubbed a pair of doubles in the sixth-inning rally on the way to a 3-for-3 game in Sunday's 11-10 win over the Blue Jays. Read the full report.

LEADING OFF: Cora has a vision for Anthony entering his first full season in the majors: Mookie Betts. Anthony will open 2026 batting at the top of the Red Sox’ lineup, Cora said. Tim Healey has more.

'THREE-HEADED MONSTER OF HARD': The Sox set out over the offseason to optimize Payton Tolle's arsenal: Start with the four-seam fastball, which the club loves. Sharpen the existing cutter. And, critically, introduce a two-seam fastball. Tim Healey examines how that could look.

RUN PREVENTION 2.0: This isn’t the best possible version of the 2026 Sox, writes Christopher L. Gasper. It was the best they could pivot to after missing out on the power bats and letting Alex Bregman walk.

STATUS QUO: The Yankees have essentially the same roster as last year's squad that fell to the Blue Jays in four games, but manager Aaron Boone doesn't view the quiet offseason as an issue. Peter Abraham has more in the Sunday Baseball Notes.

TUNE IN: Boston Globe Sports Report, the Globe's weekly sports show, airs every Monday at 5:30 p.m. on NESN, and can also be viewed on the Globe’s website, YouTube channel, and other social media platforms.

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